Gone Without a Trace
by Luthien and Tari Oronar
Summary: What if there were surviovors from the front of the plane besides the illfated pilot? I'm really bad at summaries, please R&R!
1. Preface

Disclaimer: _Lost, _it's characters, and universe, sadly, is not mine, and probably never will be unless I wake up and find out that something really weird has happened and it actually is mine. It belongs to Mr. Genius J. J. Abrams (and ABC). I just get to elaborate on it, and use my own imagination. :D So, without any further ado, please welcome "Gone Without a Trace"!

Story Summary: Jeanie was in the front of the plane. She and other survivors are on the other side of the island. They, also, assume that they are the only survivors. People must learn to overcome their differences, and be able to survive in this strange island.

A/N: When Jeanie or Christine "speak" to Alicia, they are using ASL, as Alicia is deaf. The words are marked with - instead of quotation marks.

PREFACE:

Jeanie scooted further down in her seat, hoping to find a comfortable position. She had flown only once before this, and she was understandable nervous. She glanced across the aisle to where her two children were sitting, alternating between staring awestruck out the window, and playing with the toys that she had allowed them to bring with them for the trip.

She smiled as she remembered the fuss they had made when she wouldn't allow them to bring their dolls to the seats with them. So young, so innocent. She yearned to return to their golden age of purity, to forget the troubles of the world, which had forced them to take this flight.

Tears rushed to her eyes as she remembered the events of the past several months, and she blinked hard, trying to force the tears to leave her eyes.

"Mommy?" She heard Christine's small voice, "Mommy are you OK?"

She opened her eyes, looking over at Christine and giving her a small smile. "Yes honey, Mommy's fine." Just then, Sean awoke and began to fuss. "Christine, you and Alicia stay put and behave your selves, you hear? Mommy will be right back."

"Mommy?" Christine piped up as Jeanie got out of her seat, "Where are you going?"

'I'm…uh…I'm going to go change Sean's diaper." She turned to go when she heard Christine again.

"I have to go potty, mommy."

Jeanie sighed, "Now?" _Of course now_, she scolded herself, _it's always now. _Christine nodded sheepishly, perhaps sensing her mother's frustration. "Come on then," Jeanie said, "and bring Alicia too."

Christine tapped her little sister, signing rapidly to her. The girls got up eagerly to follow her.

She hurried to the bathrooms, and in her haste trying to shush Sean, she didn't notice the fidgety young man standing in front of her till she had run into him. "Oh," she said apologetically, "I'm sorry. I didn't even see you. Please forgive me."

"No, it's OK," he said in a trembling voice as he tried to edge past her, "It was probably my fault any ways."

Smiling, Jeanie said nothing and moved aside to let him pass, and then entered the first free bathroom she found. She leaned against the door, brushing the tears from her face. She then busied herself with changing Sean, trying to block the other thoughts from her mind.

As she turned to grab a fresh diaper from her bag, she noticed the girls sheepishly smothering laughter with their hands. Girls, she signed, what are you doing?

Nothing, Mommy. They signed back, smiling broadly.

Jeanie shook her head, smiling at them. Just don't break anything she told them and turned back to Michael. Just as she finished with Sean, she felt the floor begin to vibrate roughly.

A flight attendant knocked on the door. "Please return to your seat and buckle up." She said before moving on. Hand's shaking nervously, Jeanie hurriedly buckled Sean back into his pants, then slipped him into the backpack carrier. As she turned to the door, she felt a shudder vibrate through the plane and a sickening ripping sound reverberated in her ears. The plane began rocking back and forth precariously, and she and the girls were thrown against the wall.

She felt a drastic drop in pressure, and her ears began throbbing. _This isn't right!_ She through in a panic as she fought against her natural instincts to open the door and escape. She pulled the girls into her arms and braced them between the wall and toilet. She heard screaming outside the door, and she prayed that it would all be over soon.


	2. Discover

Slowly, Jeanie became aware of her surroundings. She was still in the bathroom, and her three children were still gathered in her arms. The floor was severely tilted; the door was hanging open and she looked out into an empty aisle.

Confusedly, she stumbled to her feet, pulling her children up with her. Thankfully, they were awake, appeared to be quite healthy, and were taking in their surroundings with wide-open eyes. After checking on Sean-sound asleep in the backpack carrier—she grabbed hold of their hand and they fought their way against gravity to the door, from where there was an aisle which led to the far back of the plane. Everything that should have been at the end of the aisle was missing.

Jeanie braced herself against the door, staring down the steep aisle. Janie turned to face the girls who were leaning against the wall. When you get out there, slide to the ground—just like at the park at home. OK?

The girls nodded and, after a brief argument as to who would have to go first, Alicia stepped to the door. Jeanie held her hand till she had centered herself and had nodded. As Jeanie let go, Alicia began her rapid descent, screaming the whole way. Just as she reached the bottom, a figure appeared out of nowhere and scooped her up before she hit the ground.

Alicia's screams escalated, and Jeanie called down to the stranger, "She's deaf, she can't here you.

"Can you catch my other daughter? She's coming down." With that, she sent Catherine on her way as well. A few minutes later, after Alicia and Catherine were calmed, Jeanie called down to the stranger.

"Thank-you for your help. Do you know if there is anyway that I can get down without sliding? I have a baby with me."

A man's voice called up to her. "I think that if you are really careful, the seats should suffice as a makeshift ladder. Do you want me to come up and help you?"

'Uh, no," Jeanie called back, "that's OK. Just keep an eye on the girls and be ready to catch any falling being." Then she slowly began her descent as well.

Five minutes later, a shook Jeanie reached bottom. She was determined to never climb next to dead bodies like that ever again. "Thank-you," she said, sticking her out to their rescuer, "I'm Jeanie. These are my daughters Christine and Alicia, and this is my son, Sean."

He shook her hand. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Fred."

"Fred," she smiled in greeting. "Is there anyone else, or are we the only…survivors?"

"Actually, no." He smiled. "There are 13 others. With you four, there's seventeen of us." He moved aside, letting Jeanie see outside were people were milling about, lost and confused.

Just then, one of them, dressed as a flight attendant, came up. "Fred," she said, "we need to get a shelter. Night's coming, and there's going to be a lot of animals out and about." Then, as if noticing Jeanie for the first time, she smiled. "Hi, I'm Nancy."

"Jeanie. These are my children, Christine, Alicia, and Sean. Can we be of any help?"

Nancy smiled. "Not right now—we're just trying to regroup ourselves and figure out what's happening. If you want to go over there," she pointed to where the majority of the people were standing, "Micah—the tall one—is taking a census."

Jeanie nodded, and re-grasping her daughters' hands, headed over to the crowd.

At about 5 o'clock, the group of survivors moved back to the shelter of the plane. "We don't know what's out there," Fred reasoned, "so for now, I think that it would be best—safest—if we all stayed together in here."

Jeanie had agreed with his reasoning—though she knew that within a few days, the bodies would begin to smell—until that night. Fred was the only other one awake, and she would have joined the legion of the sleeping had Sean not begun to fuss. Just as she managed to hush him, though, she heard a crashing sound in the jungle, followed by a high-pitched screech and more crashing.

Her pulse quickened by anxiety, she crept over to Fred, who was sitting crouched by the entrance, watching the small fire. "What is it?" she whispered, peering into the dark.

He shook his head. "I don't know," he whispered, "but I don't like it—whatever it is." They looked in silence out into the black night as what sounded like trees crashed to the jungle floor, and the screeching continued. By this time, several others had also awoke, and a nervous hum rang throughout the plane. Shortly, though, the strange sounds subsided and everybody fell uneasily back to sleep.

The next morning, the mysterious beast was the talk of the camp, and shortly everybody had come to the same conclusion—whatever it was, it wasn't safe. According to Nancy—who told everybody that the plane had crashed a thousand miles off course, and that there was no way to call for help—their safest bet to be rescued was to find a way to the coast. Everybody gathered their meager belongings, and the ragged troop began their journey to the beach.


	3. Beach

As they walked, along Jeanie found herself talking with a woman, Nancy, who was close to her age. Nancy got along well with the girls—apparently, she knew ASL because she had been a speech therapist for deaf children several years ago. Alicia was overjoyed to find a new friend who knew how to communicate with her, and the four females spent much of the hike signing with each other.

About mid-afternoon, they reached the top of a hill and looked down at a beach and sparkling blue water. A general sigh of relief went up from the group, and with renewed energy, they sped down the hill.

When they reached the beach, their first order of action was to build shelters. Nancy and Jeanie found branches, including fern-type branches, and used them to fashion a sort of shelter.

Later in the afternoon, while the children were taking a nap, Nancy and Jeanie were deep in conversation, and were surprised when they looked up to find Fred standing above them.

"Fred!" Nancy gasped, "Hi! I didn't even see you! How long have you been standing there?"

Fred grinned, "Just got here, actually. Uh, it looks like it's going to rain, and," he shuffled shyly, "I, uh, well…I haven't got a shelter yet, and I was hoping…well, that is…I was thinking…"

Jeanie smiled at Fred's discomfort. "Would you like to stay here till the storm passes and you have a shelter built?"

He blushed. "Would that be OK?"

Jeanie nodded. "Totally, right Nancy?"

Nancy smiled warmly, "haven't got a problem with it. Bring your stuff right on over."

Several minutes later, Fred was back with a backpack and a first aid kit. "Salvaged it from the wreck," he explained.

"Do you have any firewood yet?" he asked, looking around the shelter.

"No," Nancy explained, "the girls were getting tired, so we decided that we'd come back and rest a while."

Fred nodded in understanding. "Well, if someone would join me, I can go start gathering some.

Jeanie looked at Nancy. "You wanna go?"

Nancy shook her head, "Actually, if no one minds, I would actually like to stay here and rest some more."

"OK," Jeanie said as she stood up and brushed the sand off her jeans, "I guess that you're stuck with me, then."

"So," Fred said conversationally as they wandered through the trees, picking up any tinder that they could find on the jungle floor, "What brought you on the plane?"

"My sister-in-law's wedding." She laughed, "My daughters were the flower girls." She smiled as memories engulfed her.

"Sister-in-law?" He asked her, "So you're married, then?"

A distressed look passed over Jeanie's face. "Was," she explained, "My husband's dead."

"I'm sorry," he said ashamedly. "Was he on the plane?"

"No," she shook her head. "Actually, he was a SEAL. They said that he was killed in a training accident."

An uneasy silence ensued. "So…Why were you on the plane?"

"Business," he explained. "I'd had to go to Australia to close on a business deal and was returning to the states."

"Hmm. So what business are you in?"

"Ah…computers. Computer programming, that is. It was a, uh, a new type of banking program.

"So…do you do you do anything else besides being a mother?" he asked as he picked up another couple of sticks off the forest floor.

"Nope," she smiled, "I was going to be an accountant till I married David. Plans kinda changed after that." She laughed self-consciously, and they both fell silent, looking for something to say.

"Well. Would you say that we've gathered enough to last a little while?"

He looked over at her bundle and then at his. "Yeah, I'd say we're lookin' pretty good. Shall we?"

"Sounds like a plan," she agreed. "Besides, I seriously doubt that the skies are going to hold back much longer."

* * *

Thank-you, Whitewolf221, for reviewing. It was very nice of you:D I made the quick changes, and am going to try to fix up my speeding problem. Again, thank-you!

Review, and I'll send Charlie over with a jar of PB! lol


	4. Storm

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Lost. If I did, all the credit would go to me, not JJ Adams, and I would be very happy. And it would be impossible for Charlie, or Jack, or Sayid to die.

They got back just in time, for true to Jeanie's prediction, the skies opened second before they reached the shelter, and rain began thundering from the dark, angry clouds.

Fred and Jeanie scrambled to duck inside the shelter before they got any more soaked than they already were. The shelter provided, if nothing else, a slight protection from the elements, for which they were both very grateful.

The girls had woken up once they began to feel the water dripping onto them and saturating their skin, and the downpour visibly upset them. Sean, also, had been woken up and was wailing non-stop, despite Nancy's attempts to sooth him.

Jeanie hurried over to him. "Hey there Bubba," she crooned, taking him from Nancy's arms, "You're going to be just fine. Calm down a little bit, OK?" she jiggled him in her arms slightly for several minutes, and then gave him back to Nancy after placing a light kiss on his chubby, red, tear-streaked face.

"Do you have anything to light a fire with?" she asked Fred.

"Eh," he muttered, as he took the first aid kit from where it had been left leaning against the wall. "I think there would probably a pack of matches somewhere in here…" his voice trailed off as he rummaged through it. "Ah, Voila!" He cried in exultation, "here we are!"

Jeanie looked up from where she was building a stack for the fire. "Good," she approved. "Will this work for the fire?"

Fred scooted over to the fire-site. "hey, yah. Cool," he said. "Where did you learn how to build a fire like that?"

She smiled, "Try going camping with both my father and brother _and _husband. Trust me, they'll do their best to teach you the ways of the wild. Most of it didn't stick, though." She laughed at herself. "I never really paid much attention to them. To busy worrying about whether or not I had forgotten something, or what we should have for dinner to listen."

"Speaking of dinner," spoke up Nancy, who had finally managed to shush Sean, "Does anybody have any idea of what we're supposed to do for food?" Dead silence.

After several minutes, Jeanie cleared her throat. "Uh, I think I have a box of animal crackers in Sean's backpack. I usually pack them in case the girls get hungry for a snack—it's the one bag that doesn't get packed away."

Fred and Nancy looked at each other and then back at Jeanie doubtfully. "OK," she agreed, I realize that it won't last more than five minutes, but it's a start. Right?"

"I think I saw some fruits of some sort out in the forest today," Fred said, his voice strained. "It's probably stuff we're somewhat familiar with. I mean, this _is_ a tropical area. There's probably bananas…mangoes…papaya…passion fruit…" He looked at their doubtful faces. "It's better than animal crackers." He pointed out.

Just then, Nancy let out a cry of frustration. "This isn't working," she complained.

Fred and Jeanie looked over at her inquiringly. "What isn't working?" Fred asked her, "the food situation? Yah. We kinda already know that."

"No!" Nancy scolded him in exasperation, "this! This…rain! I'm soaked. Look at me! That fire is _not _gonna light in the rain like this. Best bet is just to cover up and wait it out."

Jeanie wrinkled her face at the suggestion, but knew that Nancy was right. "OK," she said reluctantly, "Huddle together, everybody."

It was going to be a long night.

gandalf -dumbledore -obi-wan: t'ank you! I changed my account now so that I could accept anomynous reviews. Thanks again-I didn't know that. :D Yah, I'm planning on Rose's husband...he could be an interesting character. :P And actually, since SEALs are special ops, if they are out on a mission, they can't say where they were. So its possible that the "training" was actually something a bit more...dangerous. catch my drift? lol. And is it really that obvious that _somebody_ isn't telling the truth? JK :D Thank-you for your kind reviews! Made Luthien Very Happy!

Review peoples, and Luthien will thank-you to:)


	5. The Morning After

**Disclaimer:** Lost isn't mine, I only own the characters you meet. Enjoy, and have a nice day.

**A/N:** I'm really sorry this took so long to update—I've had this writer's block like you wouldn't believe. :(

**Reviewer responses:**

**gandalf –dumbledore –obi-wan: **Yay! Thanks for your nice review! Sniffle, sniffle…you love me:D (Just, not like _that_. Lol)

* * *

The next morning, everybody carefully unfolded themselves from the soggy mess that had been created by nature's nighttime bath. The girls, however, seemed the only ones willing to comment on their new situation. The adults, and Sean, only surveyed the mess quietly.

I'm wet, Alicia signed distastefully to Christine.

Christine looked at her, as if she were saying "No duh." Wisely, though, she refrained from any response that may have caused any type of sibling revenge. Instead, she smiled (a bit forcedly in Jeanie's opinion) and said I am too.

"C'mon," Jeanie took charge once again, as she picked herself up off the ground and then reached down for Sean, the only one who had managed to seep that night—a miracle, in Jeanie's opinion.

He blearily blinked his eyes and cooed happily, when he saw his Mama. 'hey baby," she said softly, "I'm glad to see you too." She planted a kiss on his head, then straightened. "OK, everybody," she ordered, her soft and motherly behavior instantly replaced with a demeanor similar to that of a military dictator, "outside. We need to dry out and find out what's happening and who's here."

Obediently, the other four shuffled out after their new self-appointed leader, and into the bright sunlight. Gone were the ominous clouds of last night, leaving behind standing pools of waters as the only memory of its vicious visit the night before.

Jeanie appointed Christine and Alicia with the task of watching Sean, and Nancy volunteered to watch the three, despite Jeanie's reassurances that they were quite responsible and could handle their little brother just fine. Fred assumed the responsibility of helping Jeanie pull their makeshift tent down and to talk to some of the other survivors to see if anyone had supplies or ideas on how to make a better shelter.

The first person Jeanie ran into was an older gentleman, in his early to mid fifties. He was staring into the distance, rubbing his left ring finger. Jeanie was rather hesitant about disrupting his reverie, but finally decided that it would be in the best interest for all of them to keep their minds focused on survival till rescue could come.

"Excuse me, Sir?" she tapped him gently on the shoulder, "are you all right?" After several moment's pause, he turned slightly toward her; his unfocused eyes, which made her rather uncomfortable, refocused on her face. "Yes," he told her, "physically I'm fine, but…" he exhaled shakily and looked down at his left ring finger again. Now that Jeanie was closer, she could see the marks of a now absent band. He looked up at Jeanie again and smiled slightly. "My fingers always swell up, something awful, when I fly. So, my wife—Rose—holds on to my wedding band when we fly. I was in the bathrooms when the plane crashed…she was in the back, on the half that broke off."

'I'm sorry for your loss," Jeanie apologized to him.

His back straightened. "Loss?" he scoffed, "Loss? No. You know, the key to relationships is faith. You have to believe that there's something greater keeping your relationship and those you love alive. I can feel it…she's still alive. I don't know where she is, but she's all right."

Jeanie smile bitterly—she envied his confidence, but she knew better than to hang on to a bare hope that was nearly gone. Even when all was chance was gone without a trace, and human nature said to keep believing, it was still hopeless. But she didn't want to tell the distraught man that. "well, sir, I hope for your sake, you're right. In the mean time, however, would you mind helping to assemble a task force, if you will? We're going to need more supplies: Nancy—she was on the flight crew—says that it's doubtful a search party will come this way for several days—we were rather far off course, apparently.

He nodded. "I'd be glad to help. What would you like me to do?"

"If you wouldn't mind, she said, talking to some people, try to get as many as you can who could assist in our reconnaissance mission.

He nodded, "I'll see what I can do." He stuck out his hand, "by the way, I'm Nick."

"Jeanie smiled, "I'm Jeanie. Pleased to meet you."

* * *

Several hours later, a group of nine people had assembled near the edge of the forest. There were five men—Including Nick and Fred. They introduced themselves as Robert, Luke, Adam, and will. Only two women had joined Jeanie, though. The were Erica, Adams wife, and Mandie.

"Okay, people," Fred took over control of the group," Here's the deal: none of us know how long we're going to be here—it could be a day, it could be a week. But we need to be prepared for anything that comes our way. Also, we have no idea where we are, how large this island—if it even is an island—is, or what kind of creatures live here. Be careful, keep your heads, and stick together. We're going back to the plane for supplies, bring back anything that has even the most remote chance of being useful. Leg's go."

As Jeanie walked, she found herself next to a talkative older woman,—Erica was her name, Jeanie believed. Apparently she and her husband, Adam, the quit man walking next to them, had been headed for Texas. It seemed their daughter, Lisa, as expecting, and they wanted to be present for the birth of their first Grandchild. Personally, Jeanie pitied the poor girl—it had to be difficult, having such a…extrovert for a mother. Erica continued, "I do hope we can make it back in time," she fretted.

Jeanie forced a smile, albeit it appeared slightly strained, even to the most inexperienced smile reader, onto her face. "I'm sure we'll get rescued before then," she reassured the woman, wishing she could will her into silence.

He wish was not granted, however, and for the remainder of their hike, the only noise Jeanie could hear was Erica's loud chatter. Jeanie tried, unsuccessfully, to tune her out, and she turned her own thoughts to those of her family.

* * *

**A/N:** I refuse to offer any promise, though I will tell you this: I have two sentences for the next chapter finished! lol So please review, and maybe my muse, Aldamar, will start talking to me again and I can write some more for the story! Sound good? Good. Review. lol 


	6. Final Author's note

I would like to thank all those lovely people who supported me in this endeavor, and who put up with my leisurely updating pace. I have truly tried to continue this fic, and to make it work. I am, however, afraid that I have no muse left for it. Plus, some of the events that have taken place in this current season make it rather difficult to continue with my planned outline. Again, I would like to thank those who gave me so much wonderful advice, and those who took the time to read this. You're all wonderful people!

Luthien


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